Hans Bitterlich (1860 Vienna – 1949 ibid.), Johannes Gutenberg, 1900. Plaster on wooden base, 95 cm (height) x 65 cm (width) x 50 cm (depth), approx. 30 kg, signed “H. BITTERLICH” on the side.
- Showing heavier wear in places and minor chips
- The Fate of Humanity -
This larger-than-life, monumental head is believed to be the 1:1 model for the head of the Johannes Gutenberg monument erected in 1900 on the Lugeck in Vienna. Designed to be viewed from below, the head with its flowing beard is equally that of a thinker and a prophet. The heavy humanist cap depicts Gutenberg as the initiator of a cultural revolution. Through the printing press, not only will every person ultimately be able to partake in the source of knowledge in the future, but the new medium’s capacity for expression also accelerates the production of knowledge in ways unforeseeable at the time. It is precisely these consequences that Gutenberg—filled with deep solemnity—seems to foresee with a prophetic gaze. The prophetic quality is reinforced by the facial expression, reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Moses...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Berlin - Art